Hey Connor, how you doing? Doing good JR, how about you? I'm excellent.
Thank you for taking the time to come through and join us. When you think about Coach Cal and what he's been able to do with this school and with this team, a little surprised at the results so far right out of the gate? I mean, I think so. I don't think I've ever seen a team really lose their two leading scores and then proceed to go on a run to go like finish the season eight and five and make it to the tournament and go on a run in the tournament to make it to the second weekend. It's pretty unheard of and considering where things were back in early February when Arkansas was 0-5 in SEC play, pretty remarkable that we're sitting here talking about them being in the Sweet 16. I gotta be honest, I don't think I've ever seen anything and I think that looking forward, you know, it's Arkansas, even if they bow out this weekend, it's kind of one of those things where they've already defied expectations and I think that Arkansas fans are going to be happy regardless.
Yeah, Arkansas is going to be in action against Texas Tech on Thursday night. Well, Connor, you've covered this team. What has changed?
Let's think about this in two ways. Since that 0-5 run, what's changed between then and now? And what's changed throughout the course of the entire year as Cal has tried to figure this out? Well, I think when they started SEC play, they had a bunch of guys that just weren't confident in their roles. Like you had Boogie Flynn, you had Adu Thiro who were, you know, kind of leading the charge offensively, but you didn't have really John L. Davis in a role that he was comfortable with where he had the ball in his hands. He was just kind of that 3 and D spot up guy. And he's been better. We saw it at FAU with him where he put the ball in his hands and kind of just let him go to work.
That's where he's at his best. So he wasn't really in a role that he was comfortable with. DJ Wagner wasn't. Trev in Brazil, he really has, this last half of the season has just become almost a completely different player. Then Jonas Adu has also gotten a lot healthier earlier in the season. He was a shell of himself. So you get all of these ingredients of guys that just don't really have confidence.
They're not comfortable in the role. That's what happened. They started 0-5, 1-6 before they went into Rupp Arena. And that game was really the coming out party. You know, you lose Boogie Flynn, things look dire, and then you kind of slide DJ Wagner over into more of a creator role. And then John L. Davis kind of takes over DJ Wagner's role where he has the ball in his hands more. And then, you know, the bigs start getting healthy and they get in a groove. And that's really what's changed. Guys are in more comfortable roles. They're way, way more confident and they're healthy aside from Thiero, who knows.
He may be back, he may not be back. But this team, they've shown that they'll be able to put up a fight regardless. Connor Goodson covers all things Arkansas basketball for Hawksports.com. You just named a variety of names on the team.
I do all the way down to Wagner. Who needs to take the charge? It seems like a lot of guys are capable of doing so, but who needs to take the charge against Texas Tech if they want to walk away to the Elite Eight? Well, yeah, and to my point, naming all those guys, like that has been the biggest thing is that, you know, this is something that Cal has said already this season numerous times. We don't need everybody to be good. We just need that they can't all be bad. You know, they don't all have to be great. They just can't all be bad at the same time and Arkansas expect to win.
They need everyone. It takes a team effort to get this team to do what they can do and be at their best. So really, it's not about just, you know, a couple of guys stepping up.
It's really everyone gives you something. Like, if your shot's not falling, you got to be able to give them rebounds. And we've seen that with Knox and Richmond, who, before the game, against St. John's, they weren't really like in a groove offensively.
Like they weren't the key guys. And then they go out against St. John's and lead the team in scoring. And before that, they were just trying to make plays defensively and go grab rebounds and kind of affect the game in other ways. And then they come out and St. John's and they're able to do something different where they needed to be the leaders offensively.
So it's just guys picking up the slack where they need to and kind of all giving them something that has really allowed this team to reach its potential down the stretch. Well, Connor, you say that's Coach Calipari's, his philosophy here with this team and with this squad. We know about the stars that he used to have out in Kentucky. We know about his time at Memphis.
It's been a year, at least on the college basketball calendar. What are your personal impressions on who he is and the job that he's done so far? Yeah, you know, when he took the job, obviously, I knew what all kind of came with it.
And I, obviously, we all heard the complaints from Kentucky fans and Kentucky media about kind of what went wrong and the negatives that came with Cal. But he has really impressed me. I feel like with his, you know, X's and O's are a lot better than I expected them. And they were kind of sold to me, you know, just his situational stuff like he's really great at drawing up out of bounds plays, out of time out stuff that he's been a lot better than I expected and that we've seen in years past.
And just some of the sets that he runs, I think that they're a lot more than what was advertised originally. And that's been a pleasant surprise. But just his ability to really connect with guys and get them being able to push the right buttons and get them to like not check out when you're one five or one and six, man, especially in today's day and age with guys making six figures, seven figures, like check out mail it in, man.
I mean, it just it is. And he that didn't happen. Like these guys really, you know, stepped up to the to the challenge and he kept them engaged all year, all year long. And, you know, he kept on him, you know, we can go on a run, we can go on a run if you just stay engaged.
And now they've done exactly that. So that has really impressed me for him to be able to keep these dudes engaged and playing their best ball when they really need to. Well, that's that's the guys in the locker room. How was the overall school in the community? Have they embraced them? Has it just been like, let's wait and see?
Has it been quiet and under the radar up until now? How is the community overall taking him? Well, the thing about Arkansas fans, you know, going back to the Nolan Richardson teams in the 90s, like they've always thrived in that underdog role, like they love to get behind an underdog. And they really, you know, this fan base really just rallies around the underdog. And so because Cal was so, you know, discounted and people were riding him off, you know, the fan base has also kind of rallied around that. And, you know, the Arkansas fan base has never really had a, you know, a premier coach like that's almost the brand is on the same level of the school.
And so that was weird. But then, you know, you get into the season and he kind of, you know, takes on that underdog role that this Arkansas fan base loves to rally around. And so I think that that has really endeared him to fans. He's really, I feel like, connected with with fans and outside of basketball, outside of, you know, the around the community, you know, going to different whether it's the outreach programs, they did an exhibition for charity earlier in the summer, that, you know, different things like that, that he's done that really, you know, connects him on a personal level with this fan base.
And then so you add those ingredients together, the underdog, the community outreach, things like that. And safe to say that these Arkansas fans really ride for Cal now and that he's one of theirs. Connor Goodson is here with us from hogsport.com. Do you think they're going to knock off Texas Tech on Thursday? Chris Oh, man, put me on the spot.
That's a, that's a tough question. You know, I mean, Texas Tech is really good. I think that they match up really well with Arkansas to give Arkansas trouble. You know, the big question is this chance McMillan play like, if he does that obviously changes the changes the match up completely. And if he doesn't, that obviously goes for Arkansas. But, you know, JT Toppin and Darian Williams, they're more than capable of given Arkansas issues.
You know, you've got guys like the bottom your visa in Trevor Brazil and Jonas, they do who have, you know, kind of struggled against guys at times, you know, down low with, you know, smaller scrappier kind of forward. So it's going to be a really fun, I think it's going to be another physical game, maybe not level St. John's was. But I think both of these teams kind of pride themselves at the defensive end of the floor. And I think that it's going to be one of those things that that one of those matchups that really, you know, it really quintessential, like instant classic almost. Because, you know, it is, you know, it's winter go home, it's survive and advance and Texas Tech, you know, they're hearing all about Arkansas being the Cinderella, you know, the underdog, you know, they're the only double digit seed, you know, if I'm a player in Texas Tech, that probably, you know, irritates me a little bit, be like, Hey, we're in this matchup, too.
And so I think that there's a little bit of that. But you know, the Red Raiders really good offensively, too. I think that they're last time I looked their top five Kim Palm efficiency, offensively. So yeah, Arkansas is going to have their hands full, especially if big Millen does, does give it a go. Connor, regardless of how this season ends for Arkansas, people are definitely going to take a look at look at it as a success. Knowing about how much we've had players who transfer out and move around same thing with coaches knowing how much money is being put into this program for Arkansas. That's why Coach Cal is here.
How long is this runway? I think that it's, especially with the way that this season has played out, I think that if you just looked on paper before the season started, and you looked at oh, and five SEC, you know, they they slow down, or they get a slow start out of the gates, and then they start to build back and have this, you know, amazing stress in the season, and then they go on a run. I feel like that some people would just take that at face value and be like, you know, maybe that's not living up to expectations. But actually living with it day by day and being in the moment and writing the kind of ride that this year has been. It's hard to not believe that this Arkansas fan base administration isn't just, you know, they're they've kind of gotten the mindset of like, you know, let's let Cal do his thing. Like, as long as it takes, you know, we're going to ride with Cal. Like I said, that underdog mentality, the fire that we've seen from Cal this season, where it really wasn't there for him at Kentucky, you know, that fire, that passion that has really driven him, maybe kind of lost that last few years in Lexington.
It's definitely back. And I think that with that, I think Arkansas fans are just kind of, you know, like, hey, however long it takes, let's ride with our guy because, you know, he's embraced us. And we're going to back him. And obviously with the reaching the second weekend this year, after how it started, I think that fans are more than willing to really kind of give him the time that he needs to really get this thing going. Well, listen, Coach Cal in front of a microphone is typically gold, as I'm sure you've already seen and witnessed, Connor.
So the more that we get at him over the next couple of days and maybe weeks, the better. I appreciate the time. I know you cover all things Razorbacks, not just on a basketball, but football side. Where can people keep up with you and Hawksport? Yeah, over at hawksports.com, HAWGSports.com, and we cover everything Arkansas football, basketball, baseball. And then you can follow me on Twitter at Connor Goodson, all one word, no numbers or anything just at Connor Goodson. So yeah, that's where you can keep up with all of our stuff. The transfer portal started today. So we got a lot of coverage on that front. And it's going to be a fun week in San Francisco, for sure. And no doubt about that.
Yeah, all 200 members who have entered or players who entered into the portal, keeping things busy. Hey, Connor, thank you so much, man. We'll catch you on down the line. Yeah, really appreciate it. They are always a pleasure talking to you.
